The Return of Talgroth
by Magus732
Summary: An ancient evil, unleashed... and the Storm Hawks will come face-to-face with a villian unlike anything they've ever seen... brace yourselves, kiddies... this one isn't for the faint of heart...
1. Chapter 1

The Return of Talgroth

By Magus732

It started out as a typical day for the Storm Hawks; the sun was shining, the skies were clear, Piper and Finn were fighting over whose turn it was to use the record player, and Stork stood at the helm. Max and Starling joined the rest of them on the bridge, and they all turned to Max with a look of dread.

"What?" The Onyxian stared defiantly, not sure what happened. They resumed their normal activities, all except Aerrow, who stood up from the meeting table to approach the older pair.

"Max, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?" Max's eyebrow shot up, and with a commanding nod, Starling walked over to join Piper at the table. The pair of Sky Knights walked off the bridge, and Aerrow stopped in the hallway, waiting until after the door closed to start talking.

"What do you know about Talgroth?" Max stared with disbelief; _no one_ talked about Talgroth, if they knew what was good for them. However, against his better judgment, Max spilled the beans on the name.

"I know enough to stay away... you should too, Aerrow..."

"I can't help but wonder what happened to him... I mean, he just vanished one day, and-"

"If you're suggesting he's still alive, think again... the bastard's been dead for 780 years..." Max, now fearing he'd said too much, tried to leave. Aerrow brazenly blocked his path.

"Who _was_ he? Piper said something about his return being soon, but I can't find anything on him in any of our books..."

"Of course not... he was a ruler on Onyx... a very hated ruler..."Aerrow leaned against the wall, preparing for one of Max's notoriously long stories. When he realized the redhead wasn't gonna let this go, Max sighed and began.

"800 years ago, a man by the name of Talgroth came to power on Terra Onyx... don't bother looking for him in any books... you won't find him, and for good reason; he was a heartless, sadistic tyrant...

"In a span of only 4 years, he killed 60,000 men, women and children, trying to drive them away from his palace... historians believe he was not only insane, but extremely so... statues of Talgroth slicing a faceless victim's neck were put up all through the palace courtyard... a man-made stream, rife with blood, ran through his bedroom... and when, after 20 years of pain and misery, he was finally overthrown, he swore he would return one day, which will be in exactly..." He looked at a clock on the wall. "... 12 hours and 7 minutes." Aerrow eyed him suspiciously, but elected not to interrupt.

"It's been said that he was a Highlander, but no one knows for sure... almost all the records from that era have been destroyed, memories best forgotten..." He stood back up, and walked toward the bridge. Aerrow stopped him with a question that would come to haunt Max's dreams;

"How do you know so much about him? I mean, since there was so much lost-"

"I... don't know, Aerrow... I've never really thought about him until right now... weird... I must've read some obscure thing or something like that..." He shrugged, clearly confused by the ordeal. By tomorrow morning, their lives would be changed forever.


	2. Chapter 2

As Max stirred from his sleep, the sound of his screaming could be heard all the way outside the _Condor_. Everyone on board leapt out of their beds, trying desperately to find the source of the noise. Starling fell onto the floor as Max kicked furiously, leaping to his feet and nearly running into her when he started pacing to calm himself.

"Max, Max! What's wrong?" The sheer terror in his eyes was unexplainable; he wasn't someone who scared easily.

"I... I-I don't know... I was asleep, and then..."

"Max, it's alright... come here..." She embraced the hysterical Onyxian, and held him as he ranted about whatever it was that woke him so suddenly.

"Starling, I... I saw _him_..." The veteran Sky Knight stared lovingly into Max's fear-riddled eyes.

...

"I saw... Talgroth... just before I woke up... he said... I had to make a choice; join him, or lose everything I cherish..." Max remained inconsolable for several hours after the initial incident. Unlike a normal nightmare, which Max could handle, this dream had terrified him to no end. Whatever it was that happened in it, it was something Max wanted to avoid.

"Max... describe him for me... Talgroth, I mean..." Starling tried to keep him thinking rationally. He simply shook his head.

"I didn't... see his face..."

"Then how do you know it was him, Max?" Piper queried.

"I... don't know... _that's_ what scares me... I'm afraid I'm losing my mind!!" He ripped himself free of Starling's loving embrace, and began to pace around the room in a disorganized fashion, never stepping on a tile more than once, before finally settling back down on the bed.

"Max, listen to me... you're not crazy, alright? I believe you really saw him..." Starling knew there was nothing from Talgroth's time that included a picture or painting of the man himself. There was no way to verify what he looked like, even _if_ Max had seen his face.

"I still... feel him... here, with us right now..." Max looked around, frantically searching the dimly lit room for whoever he saw in his dream. Stork began to join him, his own paranoid kicking in.

"I'll get to work scanning the ship. We may... have an uninvited guest on board..." He departed the room, but just as he left, a scream could be heard outside, followed by a dull thud and another scream. Everyone except Max ran out into the hallway, to find Stork cowering in the corner, pointing frantically at a severed arm. Appalled by the grisly sight, Aerrow took it upon himself to try to remove the arm, but he was stopped by a strange voice; one that sounded familiar, but carried a mysterious undertone.

"Don't... my victim will want his peace..." They all turned around to see where the voice was coming from; with a manic look in his eyes, Max began to walk out into the hallway, eyebrows furled in anger.

"Max, what're you talking about-?"

"Max is out of his mind right now... leave a message..." The sadistic grin on his face said it all; this _wasn't_ Max. The figure, now clad in Max's full uniform, began making his way to the hangar bay, a trickle of red blood following his bloody footprints. No one had noticed the blood before, not even Max. They all charged after him, to see what he planned to do. When he reached the bay, he quickly mounted Max's Skimmer, and with his sadistic grin widened impossibly, the figure laughed menacingly as he finally spoke again;

"Sorry, kids... Talgroth has an terra to reconquer..." As his Skimmer crashed through the hangar bay door, speeding off into the morning sky, the Storm Hawks' world came to a grinding halt...


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm sorry, Starling, but I can't help you..." The registrar spoke softly.

"What do you mean, you can't help me? Then tell me who can..." She was leaning over the counter, nearly taking off his head with her viscous stare as he cowered behind his desk. She half-closed her eyes and sighed as the registrar stood back up.

"Starling, most of those records are long gone, having been destroyed by their government to cover up Talgroth's existence... if there is anything left, it would be on Terra Onyx, in their Archives..."

"Any idea how open they would be with them?"

"Honestly, I haven't a clue... Terra Onyx keeps the most precise records in the Atmos, so anything that has survived this long is bound to be there... whether they're willing to grant you access or not is anyone's guess..."

"Thanks anyway, sir..." Starling sighed as she walked away from the counter. When she finally made her way outside, the other Storm Hawks looked up from each other to let her address them.

"Looks like we're going to Terra Onyx..." She said hesitantly, and the whole group gulped loudly. Starling furled her eyebrows in anger.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean!? Don't tell me that you're scared to go..."

"No! ... Okay, yes! We're scared!" Finn whined loudly, hoping he was right about all of them sharing his concerns.

"I hate to say this, Starling, but Finn may be on to something... I mean, Terra Onyx is where Talgroth is going...it's only a matter of time before he actually shows up there, if he hasn't already..." Piper said matter-of-factly. Stork gulped again, knowing that they had no choice.

"We have to risk it..." His yellow eyes blinked nervously. All present stared with eyebrows raised.

"What's gotten into you, Stork?" Aerrow said playfully, knowing exactly what he was saying and why.

"I... don't want to lose Max... he's the only one of us who can make a decent suture..." He tried to play down his fear for his brother. Nobody bought it.

"Stork, it's sweet that you want to save him, but... honestly, I can't say this is a good idea..." Starling finally spoke again after several seconds of silence.

"Well, why not? We've faced bad guys before, right?" Junko said helpfully. The others smiled a bit. He was right; they had taken down their share of bad guys before. Even though Master Cyclonis and the Dark Ace were still out there, ruling Cyclonia with an iron fist, they had made great strides in taking territory back from them.

"This is different, Junko... much different..." Starling narrowed her eyes. The others didn't know what she meant, but after 3 seconds, the screaming of frightened Atmosians snapped them back to reality. As the citizens of the terra ran by them, they heard the roar of battleship engines overhead.

"Oh, no..." Starling spoke softly; they bore the insignia of the Onyxian Battle Fleet, the air force of the Chancellor's Army.

"Starling, what is it?" Piper said curiously.

"We're too late... those are Onyxian ships..." The massive vessels flew past them, blasting away at anything that tried to leave the ground.

"We need to get to that terra, fast... come on!" Starling ran off toward the _Condor_, with the others in tow.

_Several Thousand Miles Away, on Terra Onyx..._

"My lord, I have finished..." A barber stood clear of his customer, and the familiar hybrid who stared into the mirror to see his new look smiled evilly. Max/Talgroth's hair had grown out to shoulder length, with his bangs cut back to stay out of his eyes, and he'd changed his general appearance; he had removed all the armor plates from his uniform, put on his body-length cloak with the hood down, and his head was now graced by the presence of a ½-inch-thick, silver headband with a black crystal centered over his forehead. In his left hand, he held a 6 foot, black metal staff, topped by a crystal just like the one over his forehead, only 3 times as big and emitting a soft black glow.

"Excellent... have my chefs prepare lunch; I'm famished..." His voice remained soft but commanding.

"Yes, Sire..." The obedient servant bowed and walked away, carrying out his orders.

"Marshall?" His dark eyes turned to a tall female next to him.

"Yes, my lord?" She bowed respectfully.

"Bring my... guests to eat at my table..." He stood, staff in hand, and began to walk out of the chamber, listening with glee to the echoing screams of the tortured just 2 floors below.

"Yes, Sire..." She said dejectedly, not certain she wanted to do it.

"Oh, and before I forget... make sure my chefs prepare something from the human palate... I would hate for Cyclonis to die before she hears my offer..."

"Of course, my lord..." She bowed as he left. Something told her that this wasn't going to end well for Talgroth's guests...


	4. Chapter 4

_Terra Onyx: Day 2 of Talgroth's Reign_

"Marshall?" Talgroth called out to his favored military commander. The obedient female ran in and fell to her knees, bowing with complete humility.

"You called for me, my lord?" Her eyes met the floor in reverence of him.

"Yes, I did... how long have we known each other, Marshall Krellyn?"

"A day or two, sir..." She responded honestly, not sure what he was planning.

"That _sounds_ about right... well, let me ask you something... and I want total honesty, Marshall..."

"I understand, Sire..."

"What would you say if I invaded Cyclonia this morning?" His soft but commanding voice was enough to nearly make her vomit with fear.

"I would ask why you would attack an ally, my lord..." She felt his strong hands haul her back to her feet, and as he did so, she brought her eyes up to meet his gaze.

"Well... let's just say I've rescinded our peace treaty with them..."

"But, Sire-"

"But nothing!" His voice suddenly boomed through the throne room, echoing in the elegantly decorated chamber and making the silver chandelier rattle slightly.

"Cyclonian forces attacked a convoy of Onyxian cargo vessels 6 weeks ago... it just occurred to me that the terms of our peace treaty allow one side to attack the other in order to avenge past misdeeds... an excellent reason to crush the competition, wouldn't you say?" His sadistic grin was slightly off-putting, but she remained composed as she turned to follow the stance of her pacing leader.

"I feel compelled to inform you, Sire, that the Cyclonians control a vast amount of resources... while they are an excellent long-term goal, a short-term campaign would likely stretch our ground forces to the limit..." She watched as he raised his staff, and her eyes narrowed in fear.

"Don't worry about that, Marshall... you do whatever you believe is necessary to get the job done... but I want the capture of Cyclonia in my grasp by the end of this week..." He returned to his throne, a painful limp apparent in his step. He tried to cover it up, but she saw it, and, against her better judgment, she raised concern over her master's health.

"My lord, you're limping... are you injured, Sire?" She ran alongside him as he nearly fell to his knees.

"No... I... I'm having some difficulty controlling this body... it's as though it is fighting me for control..." His voice softened with pain, and she helped him up onto the throne with a gentle, guiding hand. She ran a hand over his forehead casually.

"My lord, your body temperature is rising... you may need medical care, Sire..." She yelped as he slapped her away, knocking her to the floor.

"No! I am above such lowly concerns... leave me at once!" He raised his hand to wave her off, and she obediently exited as commanded.

"I know you want your body back, Max... but it's mine now... you _can't_ have it back..." Talgroth smiled evilly, only to be interrupted by a strong voice. Max appeared next to him, a ghostly, transparent figure that only Talgroth could see.

"Don't flatter yourself, you heartless bastard... you can't handle channeling all of your power through my body. Only _I _can help you to do that..." The hybrid smiled smugly, and watched with joy as the angry tyrant growled his disgust.

"Don't sell yourself short, Max... with your body, I've managed to take back everything I lost..."

"No... you managed to take back everything you lost, _except_ for your own body..." He reminded him snidely. The despot slammed his fist into the arm of the throne.

"Be gone!" A sudden blast of power from his staff sailed across the room, slamming into a wall with tremendous force. Enough power was unleashed to blow a 6-foot hole in the foot-thick steel wall.

"I'm inside you, Talgroth, inside your mind... or rather, _my_ mind... and I promise you, I won't give up so easily..." Max's image disappeared, leaving the disturbed man alone with his thoughts...


	5. Chapter 5

"Starling, it's been 6 hours... how much farther do we have to go?" Aerrow said impatiently. Most of them had never been to Terra Onyx, and only Starling and Stork knew how to get there.

"Patience, Aerrow... it's not something you want to rush..." She said, as if it answered all of his questions.

"Can this place _be_ anymore remote?" Finn droned, and he was promptly elbowed in the gut by Stork, who glared angrily.

"We'll get there when we get there. Deal with it..." The Merb's yellow eyes blinked nervously as Starling stared at him from across the room. As the _Condor_ continued out over the Wastelands, the destruction that awaited them became more and more apparent.

"Look at all that..." Piper whispered, and all 7 of them turned to see a massive Skimmer and airship graveyard, literally miles long. They stared in muted horror as injured and dying crewmembers of the downed aircraft stumbled out of the wrecks, many painted with fatal burns and cuts.

"We _have_ to stop him... no matter what..." Aerrow whispered defiantly. They knew now what they had to do; Talgroth had to be defeated, or all of the Atmos as they knew it would surely be destroyed.

_Meanwhile, on Terra Onyx..._

"Marshall Krellyn?" Talgroth called to his favored general. The tall female ran into the throne room, bowing respectfully.

"You called for me, my lord?" She spoke softly, not wanting to anger him again.

"The Storm Hawks are on their way here... invite them to join me at my table... and, Marshall?" As the woman turned to face the tyrant once more, he stood up and began to close the distance between them.

"Make sure they _accept_ my invitation..." He walked past her, his staff held firmly in his left hand. His exit was silent and frightening, laced with anger that the Storm Hawks would dare to disturb him. As he walked down the hallway to his bedroom, Max's image appeared beside him again, keeping pace with the madman.

"So, having a little picnic?" He joked lightly, knowing that wasn't why he was bringing them there.

"Quiet... you'll be happy to know I've been practicing control of my power, and I have to say; such a beautiful form you have, Max... graceful, yet deadly..." The tyrant's eyes flashed as he smiled evilly. The hybrid blinked in confusion, but said nothing. When he failed to retort back, Talgroth turned to face him and came to a stop.

"You and I... have some unfinished business, do we?" His eyes remained focused as Max shifted against the wall.

"Only if you consider _you_ being in control of _my_ body to be unfinished business... otherwise, nope... just enjoying the scenery..." The hybrid smiled slyly. The despot laughed loudly, almost as though he enjoyed hearing his host talking to him.

"Oh, Max... what a _delightful_ sense of humor you have... maybe someday, I'll let you out into another body... that way, others can see that your pathetic attempts to regain control have failed..." He suddenly became enraged, and continued his brisk walk down the corridor. Max stared with an eyebrow raised; he hadn't expected Talgroth to compliment him, even as a way to mock him. He quickly caught up with the tyrant, and kept pace with him as he walked.

"You know, Max... there's something about you that reminds me of, well, me..." His evil smile was unnerving, but Max stood his ground.

"Really? And how might that be?"

"We've both thought about killing people for little to no reason..." The hybrid stopped suddenly.

"Wh-what!? I've never-"

"I have access to your memories, Max... I know everything you know..." The madman stepped closer to him, getting uncomfortably close.

"I know that, for some time now, you've debated about whether or not to kill Aerrow and take his place as leader of the Storm Hawks... you've also, in the past, wanted to kill Stork, for embarrassing you in front of your friends in kindergarten; Finn, for being an awful guitarist; and Krala, for the same reason as Aerrow..." He stepped even closer, the hybrid panting slightly in discomfort.

"What's wrong, Max? Life with the Storm Hawks making you soft? Don't you remember how it feels to slice open a victim's neck? The texture of their blood, their screams for mercy before you kill them... "

"Stop! Please, Stop!" Max fell to his knees, covering his ears trying to block out the tyrant's voice. Talgroth hauled him back to his feet somehow, and stared intently into his eyes.

"You're more like me than you want to admit... all Onyxians are... you have an instinctual need to kill... you've learned to suppress it, maybe even control it... but, as Terro the Great once said, 'You can't fight what you are'." The hybrid broke down into tears, Talgroth letting him slump against the wall, broken. The tyrant knelt down beside him.

"Max... I can help you control that need... _truly_ control it... I can take the guilt away, take the pain away... but I need your help to do it..." His eyes softened with faux compassion. He knew Max would do anything to rid himself of the feeling he got when he had to kill someone. The words Max spoke in response would seal both their fates;

"I'll do anything you ask... master..."


	6. Chapter 6

"This is a _really_ bad idea, guys... they are guards _everywhere_..." Stork whispered cautiously from behind the group, fully convinced that, at any moment, guards would rush in and pin them to the walls. The group dismissed his warning as paranoia, and kept moving slowly down the hallway. It turned out to be a bad move for them; immediately, they were surrounded on all sides by armed soldiers, pointing halberds in their faces.

"Geez... how do they _do_ that?!" Finn whined. Piper elbowed him in the gut.

"Finn, shut up... you're gonna get us killed..." She whispered. Suddenly, the mass of men parted down the middle, and a cloaked figure stepped forward slowly, his staff clinking softly against the steel floor.

"Well, well, well... as if I didn't expect this..." The figure stepped under a chandelier, and in the light, they saw who it was. The figure removed his hood, and Talgroth smiled sadistically.

"Welcome to Terra Onyx, Storm Hawks... I hope you enjoy your stay..." He motioned to his guards. They rushed in and quickly subdued the teenagers.

"I was hoping you would join me for dinner... I'm sure we can find _something_ for you to eat..." His smile grew bigger, his laughter dripping with evil.

"Guards, get them ready... I won't have them eating at my table dressed like that..." He walked quickly down the hallway, flanked by a tall, white-skinned female wearing a falchion at her waist. The woman had her eyes to the floor reverently, and when he spoke to her, it was clear how submissive she had become, and how dominant she had once been.

_Several minutes later..._

"So... any big, brilliant plans to get us out of here, Piper?" Finn whined pathetically. Piper merely rolled her eyes.

"Finn, this is a great chance to learn more about this Talgroth character..." She looked over to Aerrow, who had elected to seat himself on one of the beds along the inner wall. He was wrapped in a silk robe, a soft yet bold red. She looked down and admired the quality of her own robe, a pleasant mix of orange and blue. Her eyes wandered around the room, and she saw Finn squirming uncomfortably, trying to get his robe on. It was a subdued yellow, mixed with an earth-tone tan. Junko's was a soft brown, nearly matching his skin color. Her eyes stopped at Stork, whose dark green robe was held shut by a matching silk belt, as were all of their robes. Radarr had elected to remain in uniform, but put his robe on over it. It was a soft blue, mixed with an equally soft white. Starling's purple robe was low-cut in the front, just like hers. A spiked collar graced her neck, along with a small silver necklace that hung down to her chest. She fidgeted with her own collar; they'd all been forced to wear one, but she had no idea why, and she wasn't sure Starling knew either. She felt uncomfortable asking about it, so she let the strange attire go unquestioned.

After a few tense moments, they were all wearing "proper dinner clothing". The female she saw earlier came through the door, wearing a similar robe that was a soft white; she _almost_ looked naked, as small as the robe was. She walked closer to them, and bowed respectfully. The falchion still hung at her waist, tightly tethered to her thigh with thin, silver chains. She motioned for them to follow her, and as they silently walked down the hallway after her, the teenagers couldn't help but look around and take in all the sights. The beautiful artwork hanging on the walls depicted blood-soaked battlefields, most with Talgroth placed in the center of the painting, shown riding a solid black griffor. They approached an eloquently decorated dining chamber, with a beautifully engraved silver table in the center. Over the table hung a silver chandelier, adorned with glowing Solaris crystals, each one in its own globed holder, almost like a bunch of candleholders.

At the far end of the table, Talgroth sat in a tall-back, black-padded silver chair, sipping from a glass of red wine. With his free hand, he motioned them forward, and the guards not-so-gently guided them to their predetermined seats. Nearest to Talgroth sat Starling on the left and Stork on the right. Next to Stork sat Piper, with Aerrow across from her. Next came Finn and Junko, besides Piper and Aerrow, respectively. Radarr was allowed to sit on Aerrow's shoulder. The massive table seemed awfully empty, so many unfilled seats on each side. Talgroth wore a solid black robe, with a thick silver chain around his waist. His neck was adorned with a spiked collar much like their own, only with much bigger spikes. As they were seated, an elaborate meal was laid before them; everything from flamecorn to fried ice cream had been prepared for their arrival. Apparently, Talgroth thought highly of them.

"So, Storm Hawks, tell me; what brings you out this far from Atmosia?"

Author's Note: The "griffor" is just something I thought up... hope the name doesn't sound too familiar... it's basically a griffin-like creature that's native to Terra Onyx...

Also, sorry about the cliffhanger-like thing at the end... starting to put together the big picture, and I don't want to ruin the surprise...


	7. Chapter 7

As the Storm Hawks sat and listened to Talgroth rant about his new kingdom, they wondered how they were going to stop him. He clearly had the support of the Onyxian people, but how had he done it so quickly? They just gave in to an invasion, even one from their own terra? No of them thought it was possible. Something else had to be going on.

"So, Piper, Krellyn tells me you're into crystals..." The tyrant brought them back to reality. The specialist cringed slightly.

"That's right, Talgroth..." She answered softly. He laughed lightly, almost mockingly.

"I've recently learned a few things about a certain crystal; you might be interested in hearing them..." The tall Onyxian stood to his full height, walked over to the other side of the room, and removed a huge black crystal from its pedestal. For some reason, none of them remembered it being there before. He retrieved the crystal, walked back over to his seat, and resumed his place at the table, Marshall Krellyn reverently waiting for him to be seated before she sat herself.

"_This_ is a Chakra Stone... it's one of the most powerful crystals in existence... its purpose is to allow the dead to walk among the living, or, if used properly, to keep the living from becoming dead..." He gently set the crystal on the table, watching their eyes follow the massive stone.

"What does that have to do with us?" Piper asked hesitantly.

"I'm glad you asked, Piper... you see, this stone is what keeps me in Max's body... without it, I'd have to find another..." He saw the flash of inspiration in her eyes, and laughed evilly.

"Don't get any bright ideas, girl... it won't work for you..." He cackled arrogantly, watching with a grin as they stared at him, afraid to ask the question on their minds. Before they had a chance to ask it, however, a group of soldiers quietly ushered themselves in, walking straight up to the tyrant. One of them whispered something in his ear, and he narrowed his eyes in anger, standing up and knocking his plate off onto the floor with rage.

"WHAT!? WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!?" He angrily slammed his curled fist into the face of the lead soldier, who reverently eyed the floor as he stood back up.

"Find the stupid bastard who's fault this is, so I can string them up by their genitals!" He swiftly grabbed the stone and walked away from the table, forgetting about his dinner guests.

"Krellyn!"

"Yes, my lord?" She stood and ran to his side.

"Return the Storm Hawks to their quarters! See that they stay there, by force if needed!" He turned to stare evilly at them before walking out with an indignant huff.

"I'm afraid dinner has been cancelled. Guards, take them back to their room, make sure they're locked inside for now!" She unsheathed her falchion and quickly chased after her master, leaving the halberd-wielding guards to deal with their guests.

"Yes, Marshall! Alright, you! Up!" The teenagers with forcefully pulled up out of their seats, "walked" to their room, and thrown inside with unneeded roughness. They all groaned in distress as they stood back up and assessed the situation.

"That's it! We're done for! We're all doomed!" Stork began to rant loudly. Piper slapped him across the back, bringing him back to reality.

"Stork. Get a grip. We need a plan to get out of here before they come back." Aerrow whispered, trying not to alert the guards outside their room.

"I've got an idea..." Finn said, eyeing the poor Merb. They all turned to see what he meant.

"What?"

...

"This is crazy, Aerrow. It'll never work." Piper whined softly.

"It'll work, Piper. Have a little faith. Is everyone ready?" The redhead whispered. Starling nodded softly from her perch in the rafters. Junko and Finn nodded from the other side of the doorway. Stork grimaced, but nodded, as he got ready to lay sprawled out on the floor. On Aerrow's hand signal, he keeled over dramatically, and pretended to be dying, his limbs shaking violently.

"Hey, we need a doctor in here! This guy's dying!" Aerrow shouted, making sure to keep a straight face for when the guards charged in. They slowly walked over to the Merb as he slowly stopped "seizing", resting on the floor in a heap. Suddenly, Aerrow shouted as loud as he could.

"Now!" With that, Starling jumped down from above, knocking the guards off their feet. As they stood back up, Junko hit them from behind with his knuckle busters lit up, and knocked them into the back wall with a loud thud. As soon as they made sure they were out, Aerrow and Starling grabbed the halberds, while sizing them up to take their uniforms.

'I can't believe that actually worked!" Piper said, astonished.

"Alright, Storm Hawks... let's get out of here." Aerrow said after donning his disguise along with Starling. Stork got up, lining up next to Piper as they got into a pair of columns, with the disguised Sky Knights behind them as guards. As they filed out, the _real_ guards came to, and slowly regained their senses. The teenagers didn't have much time...


	8. Chapter 8

"Halt! Who goes there?" A guard stopped the prisoners as they walked along the corridor silently. The "guards" escorting them came forward and saluted.

"We're taking these prisoners to the 'chopping block'... orders from Talgroth himself..." The first guard stated obediently. The Onyxian eyed them suspiciously, then elbowed "him" in the gut, after which "he" fell to the floor and lost the helmet covering "his" eyes, revealing Starling under the uniform. The other "guard" slammed the end of his halberd into the Onyxian's stomach, bringing him to his knees. A prompt blow to the head knocked him out cold.

"Hurry, we don't have much time..." Starling whispered as she stood back up.

_Meanwhile..._

"My lord, it appears your prisoners have escaped." Krellyn reported hesitantly. The tyrant screamed furiously as he stood up from his throne.

"Can no one be trusted to complete a simple task!?" He began making his way to the door, but Krellyn stopped him by stepping in front of him, blocking his path. She gave him a stern but respectful look.

"Sire, what do you plan to do?" She asked reverently. The madman shoved her out of his way, mumbling angrily to himself as he headed to the door.

"I am going to deal with the Storm Hawks myself..." He muttered, almost inaudibly. He pulled his kamas free as he strode out, an evil grin appearing on his face. He was going to finish them off, once and for all...

...

"Aerrow, stay close to the front. Piper, cover the left side; Junko, the rear; Finn, the right. Radarr and Stork, you 2 keep a sharp eye out for any more guards." Starling instructed quietly, examining the main hangar, where the _Condor_ sat unguarded. They all knew it could very well be a trap, but at this point, they had to get out of there. As they slowly tip-toed toward their ship, Starling noticed the door on the _Condor_ was open. She halted their advance, waving Aerrow forward to talk to him.

"Aerrow, someone's aboard the _Condor_. I suggest we start with just the 2 of us, then the rest can file in after we clear the entrance." The redhead nodded slowly, and signaled the others with his hands. But before they even made it to the door, a lightning-fast attacker blindsided Starling with a scissor-kick to the chest. As the veteran Sky Knight rolled on the ground to right herself, she saw Talgroth standing over her, eyes glazed over with rage.

"Max!" She barely dodged having her head removed as the despot lunged forward to strike. He quickly overwhelmed her, disarming her easily as he brought his blades to the sides of her neck.

"Say good-bye!" The tyrant began digging his kamas into her soft flesh, only to be stopped by Aerrow's leap forward. Amazingly, as he brought both blades to bear, Talgroth caught the redhead with one foot, wrapping his toes around his neck slowly.

"You are becoming quite a nuisance, child." His eyes were ablaze with anger. He threw the struggling teenager to the side, slamming him into the floor loudly. His evil laugh filled their ears as he leapt skyward, nearly 30 feet into the air, clinging to the chandelier with his toes. His evil laugh was unbearable, but it never ceased as he pushed off the light and fell onto the ground right in front of Stork, rolling as he hit the floor. He stood to his full height, grinning sadistically at the shear terror in the Merb's eyes.

"What's wrong, brother? Don't you recognize me?" He smiled evilly as the pilot shook uncontrollably, rooted to the spot where he stood by his crippling fear. His attention quickly returned to the Sky Knights behind him, but just as he turned to face them, Radarr braved the Onyxian's rage to sink his teeth into his leg. The tyrant yelled in pain, stomping on the poor creature with cruel abandon. As his grip released, he tossed the furball away.

Then, to everyone's amazement, Stork grabbed a halberd laying near his feet and swung it with all his might, slicing into the madman's mid-section. His scream of agony echoed in the chamber, followed shortly by the sound of his body falling to the floor.

"Stork! Radarr!" Piper ran over, having only now regained the will to move. She came to the pilot's side as he finally stood back up, having knocked himself off his feet by the power of his swing. Radarr slowly got back up, but quickly fell back onto his knees. Stork and Piper came to his aid, only to find the little guy gasping for breath, his body twitching weakly.

"Radarr, stay with us! We're gonna get you help!" Starling finally made it over, as did Aerrow, who'd only now regained his senses. Junko and Finn ran in to join them, finally realizing that the danger had subsided. No one noticed the hands of Talgroth slowly curling into fists...


End file.
